Knockdown sectional case.



0. B. RUWLETTE.

KNOGKDOWN SECTIONAL CASE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 13, 1911.

, LGBOXSQ, Patented Dec. 9, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTORNEYJ CDLUA\BI A PLANOGRAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

BY a

0 B ROWLBTTE KNOGKDOWN SEGTIONAL CASE.

APPLICATION TILED APR. 13, 1911. H 1,980,784. Patented Dec. 9, 1913 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MW WW w m MW WW WI W E 885 8: m w w WASH OLIVER B. EOWLETTE, OF GRAND RAPIDS, IiIIICI-IIGAN.

KNOCKDOWN SECTIONAL CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedDec. 9, 1913.

Application filed April 13, 1911. Serial No. 620,895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER B. Rownn'r'rn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Knockdown Sectional Cases, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to knockdown sectional cases, and its object is to provide such a case having improved means for detachably connecting its members together: This, and other objects hereinafter appearing, are attained by, erable embodiment in, the structure hereinafter described, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a case, suitable for books, etc., and embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the upper part of the same on line BB of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of part of the same on line GC of Fig. 2; Fig. t is an inner side view of one of the section ends; Fig. 5 is a plan view of part of the same, and Fig. 6 is a vertical section of parts of adjoining section ends and connecting strip, on line S of Fig. 3.

The several sections or units of my case have ends 1, and backs 3, while the shelf 5 is common to adjoining sections, forming the top of the lower and the bottom of the u per. End-connecting strips 4, for detachably holding the case together, are provided on their ends with dovetail tenons 6, preferably two at each end of each connecting strip as shown, the lower portion or half of each such tenon being adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from registering dovetail mortises 7 in the upper end of the section ends, and the upper portion or half of such tenons being similarly adapted to be inserted into and withdrawn from such mortises 7 in the lower end of the section ends of the unit or section adjoining above. Inasmuch as these tenons thus engage in vertically axial mortises in the section ends of adjoining sections, and as the dovetail formation of these tenons holds the two section ends of each such section in their relative position, it will be seen that the whole case is rigidly connected together by such connecting strips. These tenons by their said engagement with the section ends form the support of the shelf 5 which preferably comprises, as shown, three members, viz.,

and my invention finds a preftwo such connecting-strips, one toward the front, the other toward the rear of the case, and an intermediate member 8 supported by such strips as in rabbets 9 therein, the ends of such member being supported and held in rabbets 10 on the inner sides of the section ends as shown. It will be seen that the mortises shown being blind mortises, neither the tenons nor other parts of the connecting strips are visible from the sides of the case outside, and that the adjoining sections meet at a line on the outside, as particularly shown in Fig. 6; nor is any rabbeting of the section ends to receive the connecting strips necessary, inasmuch as no arts of such strips intervene between the abutting edges of the section ends, the tenons being merely let into the mortises in such edges of the section ends. Grooves 2 are formed in the upper and lower sides of the rear connecting strips longitudinally, and registering vertical grooves 11 in the inner sides of the section ends near their rear edges, in which grooves are adapted to be removably held the edges of the backs 3 as panels. A suitable finish top 12, a base 13, and doors 14c, may be provided as shown.

To assemble the members or parts of my case, the forward connecting strip is secured by its tenons to the two section ends of one section; the back is then slid into the vertical grooves of such ends; the rear connecting strip is now secured to such section ends by its tenons, its under groove receiving the upper edge of said back; thereupon the shelf member 8 is laid in the rabbets 9. The section ends of the next section are now secured to the tenons of the connecting strips, and the process is repeated as before until the sections are built to the required height.

The ends 15 of the top section 152 and of the base section 13 respectively may be mortised in like manner as the section ends 1 to receive respectively the tenons of the uppermost and lowermost connecting strips, and such ends 15 may be independently connected by connecting members 16 as shown.

Not confining myself to the details of construction shown and described further than as set forth in the claims, I claim:

1. In a knockdown sectional case, the com bination of the two ends of a section, such ends having mortises, two structurally independent spaced connecting strips extending between such ends and having rabbets and having tenons registering with the men tises and adapted to be removably inserted into the mortises to hold said parts together, and a shelf member intermediate the connecting strips and supportingly' held thereby in the rabbets.

2. In a knockdown sectional case, the combination of four section ends comprising two ends for each of two adjoining sections, said section ends having in their ends mortises and the section ends of one section having rabbets, two structurally independent spaced connecting strips extending between the sides of the case and having rabbets and having tenons registering with the mortises and adapted to be removably inserted into the mortises to hold the said parts together, and a shelf member intermediate the connecting strips and supportingly held in the itrips rabbets and in the section ends rabets.

3. In a knockdown sectional case, the combination of four section ends comprising two ends for each of two adjoining sections, said section ends having in their ends mortises, two structurally independent spaced connecting strips extending between the sides of the case and having tenons registering with the mortises and adapted to be removably inserted into the mortises to hold the said parts together, and a shelf member intermediate the connecting strios and sup portingly held thereby and between the adjoining section ends.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witl nesses.

OLIVER B. ROWLETTE. Witnesses:

MARY S. TOOKER, MARY SOHULTE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

